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The
RSSG Method is an excellent study habit to learn. It will help
you find the main points
of what is being said or taught in a material or presentation,
to produce a concise outline or condensation of it.
RSSG
= Read, Skim, Scan,
and Glean to get the most important points from a material.
1.
Read the material all
the way through once.
As
you read, get the 'gist' of the material - what it's about, what
the main theme is, and begin to note important parts you'll want
to skim and scan more closely.
2.
Skim the material
quickly while re-reading it.
Skimming means not reading every single word, but
quickly going through the material. It helps to hold your finger
in the middle of the page and drag your finger down the middle
looking briefly at the first (topic) sentence and then the few
words on either side of your finger as you pull it downward.
Since you are already familiar with the material from having
read it through first, this should be fairly easy.
3.
Scan to find the most
important words, themes, and points.
Scanning is looking for specific important
information by taking note of chapter and section titles,
subtitles, first sentences, and things written in bold or
italics. (These are the things the author of the book thought
were the most important.) Frequently ask yourself this question:
What's the point? You
want to figure out what they were trying to convey in their
material.
4.
Glean the most
important points and information by recording them / writing
them down.
Gleaning
is writing down the information you have found, in free flowing
notes. You can use an outline format or any other method that
will help you begin to organize your notes. (You will probably
want to come back at some point to 'tighten up' or 'tweak' your
notes and make them neat for future reference - but this is not
essential.)
Keys
to Remember:
Constantly ask: What's
their point?
Note the topic
being discussed.
Note the most important things being said about the
topic.
Record those
things.
Learn to see extra
words for what they are - extra. (They may be very interesting
and give you more to think about and chew upon - which is
perfectly fine, but in the end they're not absolutely essential
or even necessarily pertinent to the core
of what needs to be remembered.)
The
RSSG Method is a skill that takes just a little
practice to learn but can be a tremendous aid to
understanding and retaining what you've read.
© 2007 John and Kim Namestnik
www.givengrace.com
Permission is granted to copy and distribute this
material - if it's kept intact and not changed in any
way, if it's given without charge, and if this
copyright notice is included with it.
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